The Pittsburgh Penguins, fresh off an impressive road trip, play host to the Calgary Flames on Thanksgiving Eve.
The Pittsburgh Penguins return home for the holidays as they welcome the Calgary Flames for their second match-up of the season. The Flames (9-7-2) .The Penguins (9-7-3) look to extend their winning streak to four games. Here's three things to watch for in this cross-conference game.
1. Crosby on Fire
The Penguins' captain was named the NHL's first star for last week. Sidney Crosby broke out of his temporary funk with a fury, posting 11 points in his last four games. He paces the team in both goals and points, with 10 tallies and 27 points in only 19 games.
The Penguins are in a very familiar place: relying on the brilliance of Crosby to propel them to victory. They'll likely look for their captain to carry them yet again in this matchup with Calgary, and Crosby will undoubtedly be up for the challenge.
2. Jarry Rebounding
The Penguins have been desperate for more consistency from their goaltending position. After bouncing between Tristan Jarry and back-up Casey DeSmith, Jarry may have finally turned a corner.
Working through a lower-body injury the past few weeks, Jarry's play has been below-average at best. He played his most complete game of the season in his most recent outing, posting a shutout on 32 shot attempts.
The Penguins will need more of this Tristan Jarry to show up if they want to keep winning games. With DeSmith now dealing with an injury of his own, the Penguins' net will belong solely to Jarry going forward.
3. Rasmus Andersson Leading Flames' Defense
Since the Flames dealt captain Mark Giordano, they have been looking for a new number one defenseman. They may have found a suitable replacement in Rasmus Andersson. The 26-year-old right hander is an excellent puck mover and has an underrated shot from the point. He's off to a blistering start with 14 points in 18 games.
The Penguins will need to do two things to silence Andersson's production in this matchup: get in front of any power play slap shots and limit Andersson's ability to join the rush. If they can accomplish this, the Pens will be much more likely to secure a win against the Flames.
The Penguins welcome the Flames to PPG Paints Arena for a 7:00PM face-off. Prior to puck drop will be a ceremony recognizing Evgeni Malkin's 1,000th game.
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